How does an American business find clients and partners in Colombia?
Through someone who can vouch for you there. Trade between the two countries is open and the flights are short, but Colombian business still runs on personal relationships. A referral from a person both sides trust gets you the meeting, the coffee and the conversation that a cold email almost never does.
Isn't trade between the two countries already easy?
On paper, yes. A free trade agreement has been in force since 2012, the United States is Colombia's largest trading partner, and Bogotá is a short flight from Miami. Colombia also keeps the same clock all year, which puts it on US Eastern time in the winter and one hour behind it in the summer. Few international markets are this convenient to work with from the East Coast.
The hard part is not access. It is knowing who on the other side is reliable, and getting them to take you seriously.
Why do relationships matter so much in Colombia?
Because they are how people decide. A Colombian buyer or partner wants to know the person before the proposal, and a first meeting usually starts with un tinto, a small black coffee, and some unhurried conversation. Rushing straight to price can read as cold. Arriving through a mutual contact turns a stranger into a guest.
What are Colombian firms looking for in an American partner?
Consistency and respect for how business is done locally. Colombia's companies are increasingly strong in technology, agriculture, flowers, coffee, manufacturing and services, and many are looking north for clients and capital. They want partners who will stay the course, communicate clearly in both directions and not treat the relationship as a single transaction.
And Colombian firms looking at the United States?
They face the reverse puzzle. The US market is enormous and quick, and American buyers expect evidence and a clear offer. A capable Colombian firm can send proposals for a year without a reply, simply because nobody in the right American company has heard of it. One well-placed introduction can do more than all of them.
Is this a referral network?
Yes. Members of the Bridge ask for a referral to a particular kind of client, supplier or partner, and the host thinks about who they genuinely know. What comes back is one personal introduction, written to both people, saying why they should talk. There are no referral quotas and no lists, and an introduction that would not help both sides is simply not made.
The Colombia-USA Business Bridge
The Colombia-USA Business Bridge exists to make those introductions. It is part of My Most Trusted, a network where people meet only through someone who knows them both.
Ken Alston holds the American end from Charlottesville, Virginia. He is an author, speaker and executive advisor with nearly fifty years in sustainability, and he led Circular Economy Roadmaps for Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay. The Colombian host seat is open.
If Colombia is in your plans, or the United States is, start by naming the one person you would most like to share a tinto with, and then ask who might already know them.
The Colombia-USA Business Bridge
The small black coffee Colombians offer a visitor, often before a single word of business.
Take a tour of the Colombia-USA Bridge